Deep Blue and Off-White
by SnowieBearSnarl
Summary: Team KBLT and Team IVRE, two of the most promising (if not misfit) teams at Haven Academy are in training to become Huntsman and Huntresses, and they wont let anything stand in their way of being the best, especially not each other.
1. A Fearsome Team

"Give that back bitch!" A shrill, belligerent scream echoed through the dorms. A tumultuous racket could be heard loud and clear by all the students on that wing, and everyone knew exactly where it was coming from. Students walked hurriedly past as they cautiously glanced at the room the noise was coming from.

"Ask nicely and maybe I will!" Another girl's voice sneered from behind the door. Suddenly the raucous turned into sounding like a straight up brawl.

"You're going to break something…" A different girl spoke, her voice calm but exasperated.

"Tell her to give it back and I won't break her!" The first girl snarled.

"Maybe I should tell them later?" A young, well built man said as he grimaced at the door, his hand hovering inches away from from the doorknob. "I probably don't want to get in the middle of-"

Suddenly, he heard a faint popping sound and his heart skipped a beat. _She wouldn't!_

"You wouldn't!" The second girl's voice trembled. Immediately the popping became more intense and lower pitched, the young man could feel the vibrations of each one through the door. Panic set in as he swung the door open as fast as he could.

" **Thistle**!" He screamed as he barged into the room, his heart pounding in his chest.

The scene before him was an odd one, even for him. A girl dressed in little more than shorts and a strip of fabric tied around her chest with short red hair with a long braid on the side lay atop a fox faunus girl on the floor. The two girls growled at each other, their face separated by only inches of air and their teeth firmly gripping a honeybun from each side.

"Um... " The boy was dumbfounded as he stared around the disheveled room. His eyes wandered over to a tall girl with dark blue hair sitting on the bed shaking her head at the two girls wrestling on the floor. "Lapis, you wanna… fill me in?"

"Kristal stole Thistles honeybun." She shrugged.

"I… see." He sighed. "Come on guys, look at this mess, you two need to chill out."

"Tell her to let go and I will be happy to chill out!" Thistle mumbled, her mouth still gently but firmly clenching her honeybun.

"She's crazy! She almost used her semblance on me over a snack!" Kristal growled, her ears pressed back aggressively.

"You know those are her favorite and impulse control is definitely not one of Thistle's strong suits." He walked over to and knelt down.

"Now, I've got something way more interesting than a honeybun with me and you're gonna want to see this, especially you Thistle. Now, can we share?" He said with sarcastic condescension.

The two girls growled and glared at each other for another long moment before they ripped the dessert in half as they separated, Thistle wolfing it down quickly while Kristal ate her half a bit more delicately. Seemingly satisfied, Thistle stood up and with a genuine smile, extended her hand out to Kristal. As though nothing had happened between them, she smiled back and took her hand, fixing her long brown hair with her fingers as she did. Thistle was easily the smallest of the group, standing at more than a head shorter than the next shortest on the team.

"By the way… you weren't really going to use your semblance were you?" He said dubiously.

"Of course not!" Thistle huffed, but her bravado couldn't hide the downcast look in her eyes. "I'm still paying for what happened last time, probably will be for the rest of the year."

"Look, I know you said you'd pay for it yourself but-"

"I am not having this conversation again Balken!" Thistle snarled, her look told him quite clearly she was done with this topic.

"Fine, sorry I said anything."

"You said you had something to show us?" Lapis interjected from her comfortable position on her bed.

"R-right! Yeah, okay, you're gonna love this! So, you all know that we're second years now right?" He grinned excitedly.

"Yeah?" Kristal spoke for the rest of the group. Dubious looks and raised eyebrows greeted him as the three girls seemed to question his sanity.

"Well, we're second years now, we've been here a full year! And that means…" He looked eagerly between the three girls waiting for them to get the hint. Suddenly, he saw Thistle's jaw drop and her eyes grow wide with excitement.

"Y- you don't mean-"

"That's right! The Haven Academy Tournament!" We couldn't enter before because first years aren't allowed to participate, but this year will be our debut, Team KBLT!" He declared triumphantly.

"Where do we sign up!?" Thistly looked up at him with large, sparkling purple eyes.

"Well, I already registered our team, but it's not official until we all sign this form that I have here with me." He pulled out a sheet of paper, his signature already on it multiple times in the lines designated for their team leader.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Thistle's voice became little more than squeaks of excitement as she bounced up and down.

Finally, her excitement grew too much to contain and she jumped up, wrapping her arms behind Balken's neck and squeezing his waist with her legs before pressing her soft, warm lips against his. The sudden impact nearly making him topple over, but even that didn't break her concentration as she kissed him even deeper until a frantic tapping on her shoulder finally got her attention.

"Thistle!" Balken gasped for air as they separated, Thistle stared down at him with an amused smile. "Look, I know the next five days leading to the tournament are going to be hard for you, but you need to contain yourself, at least on the kissing, we can't let people find out about us, if the teachers find out we're engaged…"

"Oh I am not that impulsive Balken! Give me some credit!" She scoffed hopping down from him before turning away with her arms folded at her chest.

"Earn it." He laughed.

"So, we really gonna do this?" Lapis chimed in once again, this time with a slightest hint of worry on her face.

"Yeah? Why wouldn't we?" He cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"Well… because of the two time reigning champions." Lapis fell backwards on her bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Team IVRE…" Kristal said cryptically.

"They've had to top scored in the school three years running. Combat, grades, mission success, it doesn't matter, they're always on top." Lapis sighed.

"Yeah, they're pretty scary." Kristal continued. "We've been behind them in everything since we got here. Our mission success rate is on par with them and we come kinda close in combat training scores, but still…"

"You're all making me sick! How can you be afraid of them! We're Team KBLT! After this tournament, we're gonna dethrone IVRE and we'll be the strongest in the school and everyone will know it!" Thistle turned around and gave a wide grin to Balken, her eyes burning with intensity and she stared up at him and he couldn't help but feel empowered.

"Yeah… yeah! Come on, we've got this! Kristal, our ass kicking, glyph wielding fox! Myself, Balken, your strong and fearless leader with the big ass sword-gun! Lapis, the best tank in the whole school! Finally, Thistle, our resident powerhouse and secret weapon! Come on! We can do this!"

Balken had his fist raised up in the air, his heart was racing and he felt adrenaline surging through his body, but all that faded as he looked at the embarrassed faces and stifled laughter of his teammates. His face became hot as it turned bright red, he stumbled through his incoherent mumbling before turning pleadingly to Thistle.

"Sorry sweetie, it was flattering and all but… you kinda suck at speeches!" She fell apart as she burst out laughing before collapsing on the bed with Lapis who was also stifling a chuckle.

"You girls are assholes!"


	2. A Stressful Morning

Warm morning sunlight washed over Thistle's bright red hair as the small girl sat in the window, bathing in the sun's warmth, her eyes stared wistfully out into the horizon. She took deep, steady breaths and closed her eyes, imbibing the warmth and peace of the early morning. She could hear little more than the steady breathing of her sleeping teammates and the occasional soft clatter of other early risers in the adjacent dorms.

 _This is… pretty nice._

"It's rare to see you up so early, everything okay?"

Thistle jumped, so startled she nearly fell off the small ledge she hard perched herself on. Her heart pounded in her chest as she whipped her head around, teeth bared at the source of her embarrassment. Her eyes quickly landed on a pair of fur covered ears and big brown eyes.

"Kristal you bitch! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" She gave a low, hushed growl.

"I'm sorry, it's just, I'm almost always the first one up and you're almost always the last one up. You were looking kinda… off. I was worried." Kristal frowned and her ears drooped slightly. Thistle could only sigh, the worried look of her teammate completely disarming her anger.

"Sorry I worried you… I'm fine, just thinking about things." She turned back to the window, preferring the Mistral skyline over her friend's worried look.

"Excited for the tournament?" Kristal prodded cautiously.

"Yeah, something like that." Suddenly, Thistle felt a warm, soft hand gently land on her shoulder. She looked up and saw the reassuring, gentle smile of her teammate.

"Don't get too worked up, you'll need your rest if we want to win. We have classes soon, I'm going to start getting ready."

"Thanks Kristal." Thistle smiled softly back as she placed her hand over her teammates. Her small hand was cold to the touch, but the faunus's body was pleasantly warm. Thistle wished she could warm her hands on hers for a while longer, but reluctantly released with a grateful look.

 **BEEEP BEEEP BEEEP!**

A harsh and strident ringing echoed through the once peaceful room. Kristal braced herself against the noise, pinning her ears against the top of her head.

"I'm up!" Their leader shouted, still obviously half awake as he shot up in his bed. His hand fumbled over his alarm clock smacking it until he found the snooze button. "I'm… up."

Without another word, Balken collapsed back onto his pillow and fell instantly back to sleep. Kristal and Thistle looked from him back to each other and giggled softly. Behind them, a tall girl with dark blue hair and dull grey eyes got out of her stood up and immediately made her bed.

"Morning girls." Lapis stretched as she walked over to the window.

"Good morning." Kristal replied cheerfully.

"Sleep well?" Thistle grinned, feeling the energy in the room rise as the morning got underway perking up her mood.

"Yeah, I slept pretty well."

"Not as well as Balken I bet." Thistle snorted as she pointed back at him with her thumb. Their leader snoring away blissfully .

The girls laughed softly between themselves before separating and to start their morning routines. Thistle however, couldn't shake the feeling that had her up uncharacteristically early, and her eyes couldn't help but wander over to the clock every chance she got.

* * *

Dressed in their uniforms, which Thistle absolutely hated, team KBLT was ready for the day as they made their way down the halls to their morning classes. The bustle of first period foot traffic made navigating their way to class slow and arduous.

"Thistle, is everything okay? You seem off." Balken walked close beside her, his hand gently brushing against hers. He wished he could hold her hand, but he knew he shouldn't.

"I'm fine." She huffed defiantly.

"Is it about midterms?" Balken guessed, but he figured he was right as Thistle came to a dead stop and looked sadly and angrily at the ground.

"Come on Thistle, it's fine to be nervous but your grades are stellar, they always are!"

"Shut up! I said I'm fine Balken, I don't get nervous." She growled under her breath.

"Fine. Well, I am nervous, that midterm was more challenging that when we fought that horde of Ursa." Balken sighed, his brow furrowed with worry as he thought over his answers to the test in his head.

"Balken, your grades are usually better than mine… by your logic you have less reason to worry than me… not that I am worried!"

"I know… but, I guess that reassurance doesn't help as much as I thought." He ran his hand up his face, running his fingers through this short black hair.

"You'll be fine. Come on, we're going to be late." Thistle walked by him and without a second thought, she took him by the hand, holding it gently but firmly in her own as she pulled him towards their classroom, letter her arm hang back behind her as she held his hand as to not attract attention.

Balken couldn't help but smile, gingerly, her wrapped his fingers around her small hand and he could feel his anxiety melting away. Behind them, the rest of their team smiled, the only other people in the whole school who knew exactly what was going on.

Team KBLT shuffled into their classroom along with dozens of their fellow students. Everyone seemed off as they awaited and dreaded the results of their efforts. The teacher paced back and forth, occasionally staring directly at specific students for a few seconds as he walked. The tension rising in the room was almost palpable as everyone took their seats and settled in for the torture.

The teacher walked slowly to his desk and picked up a stack of papers, with intentional, agonizing slowness, he flipped through each paper, one by one, occasionally shaking his head in discontent.

 _That sick, twisted old man, he's enjoying this!_ Thistle gritted her teeth and folded her arms across her chest, leaning her chair back on its legs. She glanced around the room, his tactics were working terrifyingly well. Everyone looked scared, some even appeared to be on the verge of throwing up or crying.

After minutes that went by like days, he finally turned around and walked to the furthest student away from him, slowly walking to them while looking up disapprovingly at the entire class. Without a word, he began handing out the papers, slowly, one by one.

 _Come on! Come-on-come-on-come-on! Hurry up you old, sadistic asshole!_ Thistle's knee was bouncing up and down in anticipation as he finally reached her row.

First was Balken, who looked overwhelmingly relieved as he looked over his test. Next was Lapis, who seemed entirely nonplussed, her calm expression virtually unchanged. Thistle held her breath as he stood before her, leering down at her with her test in his hand. Still, she didn't yield even an inch as she glared back up at him in defiance. For a moment, she could have sworn she saw the briefest of smiles on his face as he dropped her test face down in front of her.

Slowly, she picked it up, she could feel her heart beginning to race, her throat felt tight and her mouth dry. She braced herself for the worst as she flipped it over.

"Ninety-seven… Ninety-seven!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as she shot up in her chair, slamming it into the desk behind her. She held her test up in the air above her, absolutely beaming as she read over her score again and again.

"Miss Tsvetok! I understand your excitement but if you have another outburst like that, I will send you to the headmaster for punishment!"

"Yes sir!" Thistle sat back down, her smile untarnished by her reprimand. _Mom and Dad are going to be so proud!_

"You seem pretty excited for someone who wasn't worried." Balken grinned.

"Fine, you were right, I was stressing out, looks like I was right though, my grades are always stellar, I shouldn't have worried!"

"Yeah, maybe you shouldn't be too excited either." he smirked devilishly as he held up his test. "Ninety-eight! Looks like I one up you again."

"Oh yeah, we'll just see who one ups who when the results of our combat midterms come back later!"

"Yeah, you got me there." His smile became more soft as he watched his fiancee beam with pride and relief at her test. "What about you Lapis, how'd you do?"

"Eighty-eight, marginally better than I thought." She looked up and gave Balken a grateful smile. "If it weren't for you two not letting me take breaks when I'm studying, I'd have done much worse."

"You're pretty low energy by nature, then again, who wouldn't rather be relaxing than studying?" Thistle giggled. "What about you Kristal? How'd you… do?"

They all looked towards their faunus teammate, she was hunched over her desk, her light brown hair obscuring her face, and her ears were drooping over her head. They could all hear her faint, painful sobbing.

"Kristal… what's wrong? Are you okay? W-was it that bad?" Thistle gently rubbed up and down her back trying to comfort her.

"I- I... " Kristal could barely speak between her pitiful sobs. "I- I got… I got-"

"Shhh, Kristal, it's okay! Talk to us, we're here for you, just take your time." Thistle hated feeling helpless to comfort her friend, but she was pretty sure jumping up and hugging her would count as an outburst and she needed to be here now for her friend.

"Kristal, it can't be that bad, you're so smart!" Balken laughed dismissively, trying to ease the tension, but immediately received a warning glare from Thistle. "Oh… I- I didn't mean, I'm sorry, but Thistle's right, we're here for you."

"I- I got… I got a Sixty-four…" Kristal looked up, her big brown eyes glistened as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I failed…"


	3. A Grey Overcast

"I- I failed…" Kristal whimpered, her head hung low in shame. She couldn't bring herself to look at her teammates, so her gaze fell to the side, glaring down at the paper beside her.

"Kristal… but how? You're grades are usually so good!" Balken stared at her, mouth agape.

"Maybe this is some sort of mistake?" Thistle said with as much optimism as she could muster to try and comfort her teammate and friend.

"No Thistle… I had been struggling with the material for weeks. I've been studying really hard, but, I guess it just wasn't enough… I thought for sure I'd pass."

"Listen up class!" The teacher yelled, stealing everyone's attention. "In light of the… largely positive results of your midterms, you'll be given this period free. If you need me, I'll be enjoying tea and a good book in the teacher's lounge. Do not need me."

As soon as the teacher left the room the hushed whispers turned into loud chatter as the students descended into socializing, celebrating or crying. Now unsupervised, Team KBLT returned their attention to their friend.

"Kristal, don't cry okay? Maybe there's some kind of extra credit you could do? You know, bring your grade up? I mean, it's worth asking right?" Thistle scooted closer to Kristal before wrapping her arm around her shoulder and squeezing her into a tight but loving hug.

"You know, I hate to bring everything down even more but, if one of us fails our midterms, we can't participate in the tournament. Our team will be placed on academic probation." Lapis couldn't bring herself to look up from her desk, she could almost feel the disappointment in the air. Just imagining the hurt in Thistle's eyes was enough to keep her own eyes firmly fixed on a small scratch in her desk.

" I forgot about that." Balken sighed as he rubbed his face, a habit of his when he becomes stressed.

"I'm so sorry!" Kristal stood up from her desk, she could barely see now through the haze of tears. Her chest and throat felt tight, her ears were drooping in despair, but she could still feel Thistle's head resting on her hip as she stood, holding her tightly despite her failure, and that made it hurt so much worse.

"Awww don't blame yourself, you're just a dumb animal after all." A boy sneered mockingly.

"W-what?" Kristal wiped away the fog from her eyes with her fists to see a boy in ostentatious armor grinning smugly at him. Suddenly, she felt the warmth that had been pressed against her side fade as the small red haired girl planted herself firmly between her and the bully.

"August, do you really think it's a good idea to pick on someone who can kick your ass twenty times over?" Thistle glared at him with a frightening mix of pity and spite. "If you're going to bully people, maybe don't pick marks that are so much stronger than you, or you know, who's entire team could each hand you your ass with one arm tied behind our backs."

"I- I…" He stammered, taking a cautious step back.

"You mess with my friend when she's in such a state, I wouldn't even try to stop her from beating you into the dirt. Now, my friend is getting really pissed, so if you don't back off now, I'll step aside and let her have at you."

"F-fine, I get it. Freak'n psychopaths." With that last endearment, he sulked off.

"T-thank you Thistle… I'm sorry, just, I can't deal with the likes of him right now." Kristal sniffled. _I need to get it together, I'm a mess. Come on Kristal, snap out of it!_

"Don't worry about it, he's an idiot anyway. Now… back to what we're gonna do about this…"

"I'll talk to the professor about extra credit! I won't take no for an answer!"

"There's the Kristal I know and love! Sniveling over a defeat doesn't suit you or our team!"

"Damn straight!" Kristal pumped her fist, her once dejected eyes now burned with determination and hope.

"Now you're speaking my language!" Thistle reciprocated her enthusiasm.

"Is she really?" Balken smirked.

"Oh shut it Balken, she knows what I mean!" Thistle stick her tongue out at her leader before turning her attention back to Kristal. "Well, the professor is pretty intimidating and you're not your usual self right now, maybe I should come with?"

"No, it's alright Thistle, you've done enough for me, I don't want to owe you."

"You already do, might as well get yourself further in debt with me, come on, you know you want to." She nudged her friend with her elbow.

"I'm good thanks." She rolled her eyes. "I really want to do this on my own… it's my mistake, I'm going to fix this. Trust me."

"We trust you Kristal, you kick ass in there and get that extra credit okay?" Balken smiled reassuringly.

"I will!" She nodded back to him. "What will you guys do?"

"Well it's a free period, I want to go and see the scoreboards for the combat classes." A very brief wavering in her usually upbeat tone made Kristal's ears twitch. She couldn't be sure if the other's had picked up on it, but there was a definite hint of worry in her voice.

"Yeah, I'd like to do that as well." Lapis stood up.

"I've got nothing better to do." Balken shrugged.

"So I guess I'll see you all there? I'll try not to be too long." Kristal's ears fell slightly as she thought about being left out due to her ineptitude.

"Yeah, and if you are too long, you can catch up with us at lunch okay?" Thistle smiled brightly, looking up at Kristal with her big purple eyes.

"Sounds like a good time. Still, hopefully this doesn't take that long."

"Alright, we're gonna head out, you do what you have to, and don't lose confidence because of one defeat, it's not how a member of Team KBLT responds to failure, we only get stronger!" Balken stood up, joining his fiancee and Lapis.

"Hey, that actually wasn't half bad, leader!" Thistle shoved him with her shoulder, throwing her body weight into it but barely swayed the much larger boy.

"You really think so?"

"I liked it." Lapis chimed in.

"It was pretty inspiring, I definitely feel more confident! I won't let you down!"

"You wanna walk with us? We'll be going the same direction for a bit at least." Thistle asked hopefully.

"No, I need to take care of something first, but I'll be along soon." Kristal gestured behind her with a slight jerk of her head and her team immediately got the message.

"Good luck Kristal! Catch up with us soon!" Thistle smiled warmly before leaving with the rest of her team.

Kristal watched as her friends disappeared out the door, Thistle's bright red hair was the last thing she saw before she was left all alone in the classroom. Even so, she couldn't stop smiling. _Don't worry, I'll make this right… but first._

"Hey August!" Kristal shouted as loud as she could, silencing the entire room. Her eyes locked on to the boy who looked more frightened than startled. She grinned, showing her teeth.

"If you ever talk to me like that again I'll destroy you, okay?" With a smile and a wink, she turned away from him and proceeded to follow her friends. _I wish Thistle could have seen that, she probably would have fallen over in a fit of laughter!_

* * *

Thistle, Balken and Lapis stepped out from the hallway into a massive open gymnasium. Normally it would be sparsely populated, but not today. Throngs of students crowded around a giant hologram board, looking from it to their scrolls, frantically checking and their stats in combat.

"Freak'n lovely, we've got to deal with this mess to get to check our scores?!" Thistle whined.

"Come on, you're not the only one anxious to see how they've done." Balken sighed, trying to contain his own agitation at the prospect of having to navigate the crowd.

"Combat right? Let's force our way through!" A wild, cocksure grin spread across Thistle's face.

"Are you serious?" Balken eyes wide and he felt a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. _I know that look, there's almost no stopping her when she's like this! This is bad!_

"We could try asking nicely first." Lapis said deadpan.

"Nicely huh… okay!" Her grin got even more wide and devilish, her eyes flitted between mischievous and determined.

"I don't like how you have that look, what are you-" Balken was cut off Thistle raised her leg up, bringing her knee nearly to her chest, her expression was wild and reckless. _Crap_.

 **BANG!**

A deafening crack like thunder tore through the air, overwhelming all other sounds and silencing the the room. All eyes turned towards the three members of team KBLT, Balken and Lapis were covering their ears as Thistle stood between them, the floor cracked underneath her foot.

"Let us through!" Thistle demanded. Without waiting for a response, she began to walk forward and students hurried out of her way. Balken and Lapis follow close behind her.

"Ask nicely huh?" He grimaced at Lapis. "My ears are still ringing."

"Yes, she may have overdone it." Lapis giggle softly.

"Finally! Now, let's see our combat scores!" Thistle's voice returned it's normal tone, bubbly but cocky as she stared up at the bored. However, it wasn't long before her smile vanished.

"Holy crap! Nine-thousand-five-hundred and twenty! That's amazing Thistle!"

"Yeah… it's pretty high up there." She barely responded, her mind in another place entirely as she stared forlornly up at the board.

"Let's see…" Balken took out his scroll and searched through the records. "Thistle… you achieved the second highest score in this school's history."

"The first being…" Lapis trailed off as she saw what his scroll said. Slowly, they both looked back to Thistle and they realized, she already knew.

 _Ebony Grey, the leader of Team IVRE and one of the most promising huntsmen in training Mistral has ever seen._ Thistle felt a chill run down her spine as she thought about it.

"Let's see… third place is way below you or Ebony, with over six-thousand-four-hundred combat points. Her name is… Iris Blank of Team IVRE."

"Fourth is myself at six-thousand-three-hundred and fifty." Lapis's eyes were wide with amazement and pride. It was rare for anyone to see her expression change so drastically.

"Fifth place belongs to Volta Teslason and me at sixth place." Balken was just as stunned at his ranking as Lapis was.

"Seventh belongs to our team's Kristal, and eighth is team IVRE's Rowan." Lapis finished reading off the list of the top eight.

"So, we all take up the top eight spots… with you and Ebony Grey at the top. If Kristal can get her extra credit sorted out… we'll most likely be fighting team IVRE in the tournament." Balken closed his scroll and looked back to Thistle. She was out of it, seemingly completely lost in thought.

 _Ebony Grey… I'm almost there. I'm coming for you, and when I do, you're going to lose!_

* * *

"W-wait, what are you saying?!" Kristal stammered in disbelief. She was alone in the office with her professor like she wanted to be, but now she wished she had taken Thistle up on her offer to come with.

"I'm saying that, you could take advantage of the fact that you're a faunus, there's nothing wrong with that." The old man snickered.

"But… is there a recourse for the non faunus students?" Kristal asked nervously, though she could already guess the answer, and it was making her sick to her stomach.

"No, this is just for the Faunus, it reflects well on the school if the faunus thrive here, the headmaster was very clear. So, you can take the test again, you won't be dragging your friends down because of your animal incompetence, you can fight in the tournament… or, you can hang on to stubborn pride and let everyone down because of it."

"I- I-"

"The White Fang has been a problem lately. I don't like this, you shouldn't even be in this school, but I'm not in charge and I never want to be. Our headmaster has a good heart but it gets in the way of his good sense!"

"I need to… I need to discuss this… with my team." Kristal was on the verge of tears once again, and this time, no one was there to comfort her.

"I'll give you two hours. If you fail to return to me with a solid 'Yes Sir' I will fail you."

"I understand."


	4. A Hesitant Divide

Thistle stared intently at the scoreboard, her eyes glued to the only name scored above her, the strongest student in the school. The eyes of her fellow students in the gymnasium followed hers and they knew that the two strongest of their peers were bound to clash. Her teammates stared at the board sizing up their own likely opponents. Ebony Grey belonged to Thistle, but Balken and Lapis knew they'd come up against the rest of his team by the end of the tournament.

 _Their team is pretty terrifying… who could I beat? Iris is probably out of my league, so that leaves my highest chances of victory laying against Rowan or Volta. Volta is more comfortable close range from what I know about his fighting style, so I'd be best off against him… I hope._ Balken rested his chin between his thumb and fingers, furrowing his brow as he ran scenarios in his head over and over.

"Wow, you guys are so intense it's kinda scary." A cheery voice giggled beside them. All three of the present members of Team KBLT turned their heads towards the voice, stealing their attention from the board.

Two girls stood beside them, identical twins, each with tan skin and brown eyes, their hair was the only distinction they had from each other. One twin had pure white hair with a streak of cream color on the left side while the other twin had the inverse.

"Oh, Hey Sugar, Cream, we didn't notice you were standing there." Thistle smiled bashfully.

"Yeah, we could tell." The twins said in stereo.

"You here to check out your scores? Where's the rest of your team?" Thistle asked curiously.

"Nah, we already checked out our scores, mediocre as expected!" They scoffed halfheartedly.

"You know, if you'd apply yourselves more, you'd be up at the top too. Your grades are good and you have a really high mission success rate." Balken frowned, hoping that this time they'd actually listen to him.

"We know we're skilled, we just don't really like combat practice, it feels mean and it's usually too easy anyway. We're not like Thistle who gets off on fighting." They shrugged simultaneously.

"Of course not... " Balken sighed quietly to himself.

"Anyway, we were on our way to catch up with Merlot and Red when we heard your entrance, we thought we'd come see your reaction to your scores." Cream looked between the three of them before turning back to Thistle. "Not quite the reactions we were expecting."

"We're not quite where we want to be yet." Lapis glanced between Balken and Thistle who gave her small nods of agreement.

"So, you're really gunning for Ebony Grey then?" Sugar asked with a worried expression.

"Yes. I am." Thistle spoke simply but ardently glared up at the board.

"Well, if anyone can take him down it's you Thistle. Hey, do you guys wanna come with us to the cafeteria? Merlot and Red are waiting there." Cream grinned at Thistle who turned to her with sparkling purple eyes and an excited smile.

"Like I'd pass up a chance to see that cutie! Has he been talking about me?!" She was positively beaming now.

"Oh yeah, he talks about you all the time. You know Thistle, to him, you're his Ebony Grey. He aspires to beat you one day, you really drive him to better himself like no one else, you're really good for him." Cream smiled softly, Thistle was taken back by both what the said and the gratitude towards her as she spoke.

"I'm… his Ebony Grey? Really?" Thistle's eyes were wide and her lips parted as she tried in vain to think of what else to say.

"Yes, really." Cream smiled down at Thistle and gently rubbed her head, running her fingers through her soft hair.

"I want to see him, can we come with you?" Thistle looked at the floor as she spoke, a soft blush painting her cheeks pink.

"We already invited you! Come on!" The twins said at once.

"W-wait…" A sullen voice from behind them called out. The group turned to see a very distraught fox faunus.

"Cristal what's wrong? Did… did the professor say no to the extra credit?" Balken ask, hoping that he simply misread the dejection in her voice.

"N- no… it's complicated. I want to talk to you all about it but…"

"We'll catch up to you guys later, Cristal needs us." Thistle turned to the twins, her expression sad and serious.

"No!" Cristal cried out. She felt uncomfortably hot under everyone's gaze and wished that the twins weren't there to see her like this. "I- I just want to talk to Lapis first… alone, and then I'll tell you, I promise!"

"What can't you tell us? We're your team, if you have a problem you should-" Balken stopped as he felt a tug on his shirt. Looking down beside him, he saw Thistle gently shaking her head.

"If you're sure… but just know we're here for you." Thistle looked her faunus teammate directly in her eyes, trying to convey her feelings with simply a look, and to her happiness, Cristal returned her look with a thankful and warm smile.

"Alright… I guess we'll catch up with you later then." Lapis said in her usual monotone voice.

"Alright, we'll be in the cafeteria, if you need us, just send us a text." Balken couldn't help but feel this wasn't enough. His responsibility as team leader gnawed at him, telling him to do more, but he knew Thistle was right, and that they'd know when their teammate, their friend, was comfortable telling them.

"Thank you, I promise, I'll tell you both everything soon." Cristal did her best to sound reassuring but the worry in her voice bled through. Even so, they parted ways, Thistle and Balken going with the twins and Lapis followed Cristal, unable to help but worry as she walked along side her friend, who said not a word on their way to the dorms.


	5. A Cornered Fox

"What's going on Cristal?" Lapis blinked curiously, her dark, dull grey eyes inexpressive as usual.

The fox faunus looked nervously around their dorm room, her ears rotating and flicking, trying to detect anyone who may be near enough to listen in. Lapis felt worry welling up in her chest as she watched her teammate's uncharacteristic behavior.

"Listen… something happened when I went to Professor Knoll and… I just don't know what to do." Cristal's voice dropped disheartened, her nerves getting the better of her as she spoke. She thanked her forethought for not letting her try this in front of her entire team first. Lapis was by far the easiest to open up to.

"Tell me when you're ready, I'll do what I can." Lapis reassured gently. She felt the tension ease in her chest as she watched her teammate take a deep, steadying breath to calm herself.

"Okay… Knoll offered me extra credit, but only because I'm a faunus." Cristal couldn't bear to look at her friend, opting instead to stare down at the floor in shame.

"I see…" Lapis mumbled inscrutably.

"He- he said that I failed b- because… because…" Cristal couldn't even see anymore through the haze of tears.

She'd never been treated like this, she's never been discriminated against so egregiously. The malice that was held towards her because she had the misfortune of being born a faunus… I shook her. She was on the verge of falling apart when a gentle hand came to rest on her shoulder. Blinking away the fog in her eyes, she looked up at her friend.

"Cristal, what did he say." Her voice was firm and cold, but a fire of anger burned behind her frigid grey eyes.

"He… he said I failed because of my… animal incompetence." Cristal gritted her teeth, recoiling as though the words themselves stung her as they left her lips.

"I see... I understand why you are hesitant to say this in front of Thistle. She'd lose all sense and get herself expelled. Hell, I feel like doing the same."

"Please I- I just, I don't know what to do, this recourse is only being offered to the faunus students, it doesn't feel right. He only gave me two hours to decide. If- if I don't, he'll fail me and I'll let you all down. If I do this, I'll be letting myself and my family down, hell, I feel like I'll be letting down my entire species." She was helpless against the torrent of tears now as she sobbed, falling against Lapis and crying into her shoulder.

Cristal felt strong arms wrap tenderly around her and pull her in close, and a gentle touch rubbed up and down her back. _G-get a grip Cristal, what would Thistle say if she saw me like this… crying isn't what our team does when faced with a problem. What must Lapis be thinking of me right now? I- I know she's trying to comfort me, but I'm going to be a Huntress, I have to get a grip!_

"It's okay, you can cry." Lapis said simply, tightening her arms around her teammate even more, resting her cheek against her head. Cristal's large fox ear twitched as Lapis' breath gently caressed them.

"N- no… I- I can't-" Her words were barely audible through her rapid and choked breaths.

"Yes, you can. I know you want to be strong for us, but Thistle and Balken aren't here right now, it's just us. You can cry. It's okay."

Long minutes passed as Cristal let go and just cried. _Why are people like this!? Why is this happening to me!? I- I didn't do anything for him to hate me. It's, it's these stupid ears! I hate being a faunus, I hate it! I didn't ask to be born this way, it's not my fault! Th-the hate in his voice… I've never felt so much hate in my life._

"You know, I cry too. A lot of nights, I wake up from nightmares about what happened to my caravan when I was younger. My heart races, my body quivers just like yours is now and I cry." Lapis gently pushed her friend from her shoulder and looked into her wide, glistening eyes.

"And Thistle isn't some inhuman monster that never gets hurt. I've seen her cry, just like you are now. Underneath that abrasive exterior and hyper personality, she's really a fragile little girl." Lapis knew Thistle would kick her ass if she ever heard her say that, but she knew Cristal needed to hear it now.

"What made Thistle cry?" Some of the pain and sorrow in her voice had been replaced with astonishment and curiosity.

"That's not really for me to say. If you're feeling brave one day, you can ask her yourself." Lapis grinned and Cristal smiled in turn, gently wiping the tears from her eyes.

"It might be better for my health if I just don't." She giggled, her ears rising cheerfully on top of her head.

"Now… as for what I think you should do." Lapis' voice became serious and cool once again. "Thistle would tell you not to compromise your pride, while Balken would be pragmatic and tell you that you shouldn't let him get to you and just take advantage."

"Yeah… I figure that's how they'd respond too." Cristal glanced at the door. _Thistle's murderous rage notwithstanding._

"As for myself, I know this is hurting you but it shouldn't. You have a team that puts their lives in your hands every time we go on a mission, you're not a faunus to us, you're Cristal, our teammate and friend. We love you for you. If you expressed how much doing it would hurt you, I know Thistle and Balken would stand with you when you tell that bastard off."

"So… you're saying I should say no?"

"I'm saying, whatever you chose, your team will be here for you." Lapis placed both her hands on her shoulders, her lips forming a small but warm smile.

"I was hoping for a more concise answer honestly." Cristal sighed in exasperation.

"You'll get concise when we have this discussion as a team. Come on, you're running out of time. Let's go find them."

"... okay."

* * *

"Merlot!" Thistle screamed excitedly, running up and throwing her arms around her friend from behind.

"Wah! Thistle, you scared me! I almost spilled my drink!" Merlot turned around to face her. He had long, beautiful dark wine colored hair and gorgeous light green eyes. His face was soft and very feminine, as was his voice.

"I'm sorry, I just haven't seen you in days and Cream told me something that made me really happy, so I just had to hug you!" She giggled and squeezed harder, hanging from his shoulders and nearly making both of them fall to the floor.

"W-what did you say Cream!" He growled with a soft blush painting his cheeks.

"Oh, um, I- well you see-"

"She said I was your Ebony Grey and that you want to beat me someday!" Thistle said in a sing-song voice, cutting off the now relieved twin.

"What! Guys come on, I told you not to tell her!" He shouted, his face now burning pink from embarrassment while the entire cafeteria watched the spectacle.

"Awww, don't be mad at them sweetie, it's cute. You're really strong and I respect your tenacity. I'd love to go toe to toe with you in a serious match." Thistle finally released him and roughly rubbed the top of his head, messing up his silky smooth hair.

"Yeah well, I'm not match for you, especially not without a Semblance." His head dropped on top of his arms on the table as he gave a long, dejected sigh.

"Hey now, don't be like that." Thistle sat beside him, pressing her side against his. "You're strong either way, I enjoy fighting you, and you're a great team leader. You'll get your semblance soon enough, just keep kicking ass, it'll come to you."

"Easy for you to say, you got your semblance when you were little right?" A wolf faunus with short, brick red hair and mahogany eyes spoke, his arms crossed over his chest.

"What's your problem Red?" Thistle growled at him.

"Look, I'm just saying you don't know how he feels. I only discovered my Semblance about a month ago and it sucked waiting. Maybe try a little more empathy pipsqueak." He growled back at her, baring his teeth. The two glared at each other with vicious eyes looking as though they could pounce on each other at any moment.

"Well, I gotta hand it to him, not many people would talk to her like that." Balken smiled as he watched them.

"Yeah, he really opens up around her, it's nice." Sugar said from beside him, her chin resting on her hands propped up on the table by her elbows.

"Hey look, here comes the rest of team KBLT, looks like the gang's all here." Cream smiled as she waved out to the approaching friends.

"Been a bit since team KBLT and team CSMR got to be all together like this, we normally have different lunch periods!" Thistle smiled, turning away from Red and whose expression became even more irked.

"Hey guys, nice to see you again." Cristal smiled as cheerfully as she could.

"You've been crying…" Thistle said immediately, her voice unusually soft as she looked up at her now extremely embarrassed teammate. Everyone at the table glanced between the two, except for Balken who rubbed his hands over his face, shaking his head at Thistle's lack of tact.

"I- I um… I-"

"We need to have a team discussion." Lapis interjected, saving the babbling Cristal from making a fool of herself. "There's something she needs to tell you."


	6. A Wayward Flower

"I'm going to kill him." Thistle said will chilling calm as she stood up. Around her all her teammates were seated, now staring up at her.

 _And there's the murderous rage…_ Cristal thought to herself. She would have laughed if it weren't for the deadly cold fury in the small girl's eyes.

"Thistle wait, we can't-" Balken stopped abruptly as the air around Thistle began to hiss and tremble. The girl's jaw was clenched tight and her fists were balled up, her knuckles turning white. _This is bad, this is really really bad!_

"I'm going to kill him." Thistle repeated once again, her voice cold and soft, but the air surrounding her body told a different story as the team felt the pressure waves emanating off her body, the hisses beginning to turn into concussive booms that rattled the entire room.

The team covered their ears, but it was little help to Cristal's large, sensitive fox ears. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyes tight against the pain, falling back against her bed and trying her best to shield her ears from the sound.

"Thistle knock it off!" Balken shouted as loud as he could to overcome the thunderous pulses coming from his fiancee. He instinctively reached his hand out to grab her wrist but a powerful shock-wave slapped his hand painfully away.

"Gahhh!" Balken shouted, retreating his hand back his chest and clutching it. A moment later the sound around Thistle died down as she looked over her team.

"I- I didn't… I-" She looked between Balken and Cristal, their faces scrunched up in pain and Lapis who rubbed over her ear with her hand. Fear and panic took over as Thistle's eyes grew wide and sorrowful. "I didn't mean to... I was just-"

"What the hell Thistle!? You've got to get a grip on that power of yours!" Balken snarled, still clutching his hand.

"I'm sorry! Please, let me see your hand maybe I can-" Her mind came to a grinding halt as she pulled back his hand. It was bleeding and and red all over. "B-Balken… you know… you know I didn't mean to. I- I didn't mean…"

"Thistle, your power is incredibly destructive. You don't even realize how much damage your tantrums do!" Cristal sat up from her bed, clutching her still ringing head.

"Cristal… I- I-" Thistle's words were barely more than short and frantic sobs. Tears rolled down her cheeks and her heart hammered away in her chest, each beat felt as loud as her semblance. Images from the past ripped through her to the forefront of her mind, filling her with dread and guilt.

"Thistle… Thistle wait, they didn't mean it that way!" Lapis shot up from beside Cristal, Her expression desperate and pleading as she reached out for her panic stricken teammate.

"I'm sorry…" Thistle's voice was a soft and broken whisper as she stepped back from Lapis' hand. She wrapped her arm over her chest and gripped her other arm tightly, looking down at the floor, she gently shook her head, drops falling from her face.

Her entire team stared at her, their eyes wide in heartache and astonishment. Never had any of them seen their mightiest teammate look so much like a scared, lost little girl. The picture was so unreal none of them made a sound for a solid minutes, instead their gaze was firmly fixed on the small figure before them. The normally belligerent, hyperactive girl now looked so small and meek. They felt helpless as they watched her turn towards the door and, without a word, leaving them alone, the subtle click of the door closing was the only things that brought them back to reality.

"She's gone. We let her just… leave. She looked so-"

"Hurt." Lapis cut Cristal off with a harshness in her tone that they had never heard.

"Damn it… why'd she have to lose control like that, why'd I have to yell at her like that?!" Balken clutched his hand, it was trembling, but now more out of anger than pain.

"We should… we should go after her!" Cristal stood up, but immediately felt a hand grasp her own. She looked beside her to see Lapis shaking her head in disapproval.

"We only have thirty minutes to decide what we're going to do about your test situation. Thistle probably needs some time to herself, if not, you're not the one who needs to talk to her." Lapis turned her head towards Balken.

"Yeah… I need to find her, make sure she knows everything is okay." Balken sighed as he stood up, letting his injured hand fall to his side.

"My problem can wait! I've never seen her like that, she needs us. I yelled at her, she only got angry for my sake, I knew this might happen but I yelled at her! I need to tell her everything is okay too!" Cristal turned back to Lapis, pleading with her eyes to let her go.

"No." Lapis said firmly. "Balken knows best what's going on with her, I think she'd have an easier time opening up to him right now, just like you had an easier time opening up to me. Right now, we have a duty to our team as a whole, and we need to decide how to handle this, now."

"Lapis is right, I'll take care of Thistle after we decide what to do about your test. So, I think you should do it, push aside his ignorance and it's the obvious choice." Balken tried to act like a good team leader, but the thought of the girl he loved, out there alone was eating away at him.

"But… the only reason they're letting me do this is because I'm a faunus…"

"So accept it, kill it on the retest and prove them wrong. Then your team will win the annual tournament and no one will be able to say shit!" Balken's chest burned with anger as he thought about the smug professor's face. _This is probably exactly how he wants her to feel that bastard!_

"If I accept it only proves to him that the faunus are weak and in need of extra help!"

"No, Cristal." Lapis gently clasped her hands around her friend's. "It proves nothing, not about you or your species, except that you were willing to make a difficult choice in an unfair situation. Don't misunderstand me, I do not think there is a right choice here. You have to do what you can live with. We'll have your back either way."

"I don't know what I can live with! I can't help but feel I'm letting my species down, confirming the negative stereotypes we struggle under, but if I don't, I'll be letting my you guys down!" Cristal fell back onto her bed, her throat was sore from all the crying earlier but she could feel a familiar tightness rising within it as her eyes began to water.

 _I can't do it, I wish they'd just make the choice for me. I-if I just sit here and think, the choice will be made for me… I'll fail, and I won't have chosen it… no! That's so wrong! I failed, and now I'm bringing my team down with me! Thistle and Balken are both hurt because of me, I have to make this right. They put their lives in my hands every time we go out in the field, their lives, they trust and love me that much…_

"I… I know what I'm going to do!" Cristal's voice was strong and passionate as she wiped the tears from her eyes one last time. "I'm going to retake the test… I'm going to retake the test."

"Are you sure?" Lapis asked with a barely noticeable grin of satisfaction on her face.

"Yes, it's the choice I can live with." She gave an affirming nod, her heart fluttered at the pride beaming from Lapis' eyes.

"Then we should get going, we don't have much time. I'll catch up with Thistle, you two get to Professor Knoll's office and tell him your decision." Balken walked hurriedly to the door and left without another word, resisting breaking into a sprint the moment he was out the door.

"He's right… let's go." Cristal stood up and led the way with Lapis following close behind.

* * *

"Where'd she go?!" Balken growled under his breath, mentally kicking himself for not following after her immediately. _No, I did the right thing as leader! I just… I just have to find her!_

"Balken, are you okay?" A feminine voice called from behind him, startling him out of his mental self lashing. He quickly spun around to see a familiar boy with long, wine colored hair and green eyes, as well as the rest of his team.

"Oh, crap, you scared me Merlot. Um, you haven't seen-"

"Thistle, yeah, we have." Cream interrupted. Balken's heart sank at the unusually worried look on her face.

"She was heading the opposite direction, to the combat training room and the lockers. She looked really depressed." Sugar frowned, looking questioningly at Balken.

"Y-yeah, something happened at our team meeting and-"

"Does it have something to do with your hand?" At Red's question the entire team looked down at Balken's bleeding and slightly swollen hand.

"Yeah, it's nothing… it's fine." He knew he sounded unconvincing, but he didn't have the mental energy to lie well.

"She lost control… didn't she." Merlot asked, his face the most worried of all.

"Look, it's not important, I just need to find her and make sure she's okay!" Balken's voice was a strange mixture of begging and anger that took all of team CSRM aback.

"We'll help you find her. With five heads searching it'll be five times as easy to find her!" Merlot looked around to his team and received affirming nods in return. "We'll find her, don't worry!"

"Are you sure? She might not be in the most stable state right now, it might… be dangerous." He sighed. He didn't want to admit it, not to himself, let alone anyone else, but they needed to know if they were going to help.

"Alright, in that case, if we find her we'll come get you instead of talking to her. Does that sound okay to everyone?" Merlot looked at his team once again, now, subtle fear and trepidation darkened their expressions. Still, he received tepid nods from all of them.

"Thank you so much, I'm sorry for dragging you into my team's problems… I'm a failure as a leader." Balken slowly but firmly ran both his hands over his face, his short hair tickling his finger tips. A soft, gentle weight came to rest on his shoulder. Bringing his hands back down so they just covered up to his mouth, he saw Merlot looking at him reassuringly.

"We will find her, don't worry." He turned around to face his team, giving them instructions on where to go and what to do. "Alright, let's bring her back!"

"Right!" The three remaining members of his team sounded in unison before running off in different directions.

"We'll give you a call on your scroll once we see her, don't worry." Merlot gave a final, warm smile to reassure his fellow leader before running off on his own, leaving Balken alone once again with his thoughts.

 _I hope so… and before she gets herself or anyone else hurt._

* * *

"So, have you come to a decision?" The old man sneered, looking up at the two girls with patronizing smile.

"Yes, I have." Cristal could barely keep her calm, if it weren't for the reassuring presence of her teammate beside her, she doubted she could be so coherent.

"And?"

"Yes Sir, I would like to retake the test." She felt a wave a nausea sweep over her as he grinned at her, like he was superior, like he had known all along what she would do. She felt sickened, her heart racing in her chest.

"Of course you do! You can take the test with the rest of your… kin, in three days. It will be graded on the spot, if you pass, you can participate in the tournament the next day. If you fail, your team will be placed on academic probation and you will not fight in the tournament. Try not to disappoint your more… capable teammates again."

"Why are you treating her like this? What do you have against the faunus?" Lapis spoke up, taking both Cristal and Professor Knoll by surprise.

"My dear I assure you, I hold no animosity towards the faunus. This is a benefit designed to help the faunus. We here at Haven Academy do not discriminate, it's against our policy." He snickered.

"That's crap and you know-" Lapis was silenced as she felt the gentle touch run down her wrist and slide over her palm before wrapping around her hand. She looked beside her to see Cristal smiling thankfully, her large brown eyes sparkling with happiness and gratitude before becoming cold as she turned back to the professor.

"Yes sir, thank you. I understand." She released Lapis' hand and turned towards the door, taking a long, deep steadying breath and walking out again, with Lapis right behind her.

* * *

Balken leaned against a wall his scroll in hand as he waited extremely impatiently for a call. Despite Merlot's idea, he thought it best to stay in one spot, that way he didn't end up walking further away from wherever they found her.

 _It's been twenty minutes, they should have found her by now… I'm getting a really bad feeling._

Suddenly, a frantic vibrating in his hand stole his attention from the sinking feeling in his gut. He looked down at his scroll; It was Red. He clicked the answer button and put the phone to his ear, but before he could get a word out, Red's panicked voice confirmed his worst fear.

"I found her, she was heading towards the lecture hall and the teacher's offices! I did not like that look on her face, and Balken… she had her weapons on her."

He nearly dropped the scroll as his worst fears were coming true. He hung up and looked down the hall in the direction of the offices. 'Shit… I don't think I'll make it in time! I have to call the girls!'

Balken bursted into a sprint as he shakily dialed his teammates. _Please be close enough to stop her!_

* * *

"Miss Tsvetok, how nice to see one of my best students. I'm afraid however, you missed your teammates." Knoll laughed as he sorted through papers on his desk.

"Nice to see you too, professor." Her voice was calm and icy, the darkness in her tone made Knoll look up from his papers.

"Your friend, she decided to retake the test. Good girl, not dragging you down with her. Honestly, I don't know how you put up with incompetence on your team, I-" He was silenced by a loud mechanical click as Thistle, without breaking eye contact, reached behind her and locked the door.

Only now did the professor feel what lay just beneath the surface of the small girl's calm demeanor. He looked to her wrists and saw her signature weapons; The Spite Virtues. Large wrist mounted spools with magazine fed guns on each. However, their most deadly asset was what slinked out from the purple and silver spools, the long thin chains dragged along the floor behind her, leading all the way back up to the terrifying crux of her weapon, her dual karambits. Knives designed to be held in fist, curved outwards and intended for deadly, blade augmented punches and slashes.

M- Miss Tsvetok… you know weapons aren't allowed in this part of the-"

Her spools made a distinct click as it loaded its guns. Her terrifyingly malice filled gaze never once broke from him as she walked slowly closer, her chains clanking as they dragged along the ground. The teacher was visibly trembling as he pushed himself back in his chair until it ran up against the wall.

"I- I warn you! You touch me and you will be expelled, you and your entire-"

"Shut up." Thistle whispered so softly and calmly and it made the teacher's veins turn to ice.

"You made my friend cry… If you ever do that again, you will not be safe. Expulsion, prison, even threat of death, nothing will stop me… make no mistake, I will kill you, if you ever hurt any of my friends again. I will kill you."

"Y-you can't threaten me! I- I'm a-"

 **BOOOOOOOOOM!**

The entire room quaked at the massive concussive wave Thistle let loose from all around her body. Everything went flying, pictures frames shattered and the furniture flipped over, wood was stripped from the walls. Thistle stood in the middle of the carnage, or chilling expression unchanged as she remained fixed on the professor.

Frantic banging pounded against the door and familiar voices shouted her name. She ignored them. Thistle walked slowly over the the cowering professor. She placed her foot on the overturned desk and, with another concussive wave from her foot, she sent the heavy wooden desk flying into him. With a choked whimper of pain he looked up at her, stared petrified into her deep purple eyes. She bent over and whispered into his ear.

"Make no mistake… I can kill you." Thistle stood up and her chains retracted into her spools and her blades dangled from her wrists. She turned back to the teacher as she reached for the lock on the door, giving him one last chilling glare before opening the door.

Her entire team was there, and all of team CSMR, panting for breath. Thistle walked by them without a second thought, as though they weren't even there.

"Thistle…" Balken whispered as he felt the blood drain from his face at the scene before him. All seven of them stared in shock and horror at the destruction before them.

Students rushed by Thistle as she walked quietly away, running to check out the source of the explosion, those that knew her however, gave her a wide berth as they passed.

 _Destruction… that's all I'm good for. Might as well destroy for something I care about._


	7. A Vulnerable Girl

"Miss Thistle Tsvetok." A man's voice boomed from above her. Thistle looked up, her eyes exhausted and defeated. She sat alone in the middle of a large, nearly empty room. Above her, three large holograms projected onto the walls and sitting beneath them were her teachers… including Professor Knoll who stared down at her with a bitter scowl.

"Y-yes sir?" She said softly.

"This hearing will take a recess to determine the proper course of punishment for your assault on Professor Knoll, who suffered injury at your hands." The commanding voice coming from the holo-screen echoed through the room. "This will be our final hearing of your Academic Trial, your statements made in our previous hearings will be taken into account. You are dismissed."

"Yes Headmaster… thank you." Thistle shakily stood from her uncomfortable seat and walked out, not once looking back up the meet the disappointed gaze of her teachers. As she reached the door, she felt her heart beginning to race as panic set in. _This is it… this is it… they're- they're going to expel me. I'm so, so sorry mom, dad, I let you both down._

With a deep breath that did nothing to ease her nerves, she turned the doorknob and stepped into the hallway. The light that shined in through the windows painted the halls with beautiful shades of orange and pink, laying delicate shadows over the grounds outside from the sparse trees dotting the landscape. Thistle couldn't help but stare at the horizon, the setting sun dazzling the sky with vivid color. _It's been hours since I've been in there… my ass fell asleep._

"Thistle, how'd it go?" Balken's voice called out gently from beside her, his voice dripping with fear and worry. She turned around to see her entire team waiting out in the hall, and by the looks of the sleepy faces, they'd been waiting a while.

"I don't know… I've been at this for four days and I don't know!" Her jaw clenched and she balled her fists, her whole body was shaking. She wanted to cry but no tears came. _They're going expel me! Damn it, damn it! I did the right thing! He hurt Cristal, no one else was going to hold him accountable! I- I shouldn't get punished, I did the right-_

Suddenly she felt a warmth surround her, a firm but gentle pressure that pulled her close and held her tight. Her eyes fluttered open, she could barely see through her tired, hazy eyes, but she knew the scent and recognized the long brown hair that tickled her face.

"Cristal... I- I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Thistle clenched her jaw so tight it hurt, but she didn't care. She flung her arms around her friend and held her tight, her head buried against her chest, now, she couldn't help but cry.

 _They're going to expel me! I didn't do anything wrong! He- he was the one who was wrong, he hurt Cristal, he made her cry! I did the right thing, I have to protect my teammates, no one else was going to do it! How… how will I be able to protect them if they expel me? My team needs me, I don't trust anyone else to fight alongside them and keep them safe! It has to be me! I can't go, I can't go. Damn it! Why am I so stupid!?_

She felt Cristal gently rub her back as more warmth as pressure surrounded her. Her entire team huddled around her, holding her close in a group hug as she cried. _Damn it, I told Cristal crying isn't how Team KBLT deals with our problems! What kind of example am I setting? Balken, he- he never cries, he's strong! I- I just don't know what else to do. Damn it!_

"L-let me go…" Thistle whimpered, trying to squirm out of the group hug. The four of them broke apart, leaving the small girl in the middle with an absolutely broken look on her face. Her tears had stopped flowing, replaced with a bleak emptiness that ached the hearts of her entire team.

"They'll call me… when they've made their decision. I want… I want to be alone right now. I'll be in the combat hall. Just- I just need some space right now." Thistle's voice was barely a whisper, no one would have heard her if they weren't within a couple feet of her. Without looking up from the ground, she wiped her eyes and slinked away, every aspect of her body language showing defeat and hopelessness.

"We can't let her go alone again!" Cristal turned to her team guilt and heartache apparent in her eyes.

"I know you want to help but… what can we do? It's not up to us. She made the choice to attack Professor Knoll." Lapis sighed, her eyes drifting from Cristal to the strands of bright red hair set ablaze in the glow of the sunset just before it vanished down a corridor. _I wish… I could have stopped her._

"She did it for me!" Cristal shouted, stomping her foot to the floor. Rage burned in her chest, directed at no one but herself. "If I didn't fail this test none of this would have happened!"

"Cristal, you need to calm down. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine." Balken roughly and vigorously rubbed both his hands over his face. "I should have know what she was going to do… I should have known."

"This pity party isn't helping us and it certainly isn't helping Thistle. She needs to find a healthy way to process this. We did all we could, we were here for her, and we'll stay here for her, that way when she comes back she'll have us there to support her, no matter what happens." Lapis's dark grey eyes bounced between her two remaining teammates with a reprimanding glare.

"I know you're right it's just… I hate feeling so helpless. I hate leaving her alone. What kind of… what kind of guys does that to the girl he loves?" Balken balled his fists tight, his nails digging into his palms.

"I know… we love her too, but we've got to stay rational." Lapis placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"You know Lapis… sometimes I think you should be our leader." He he laughed painfully.

"You're fine, one of your strengths as a leader is being able to listen to your team. The best thing we can do for her now is stay here and wait for them to call her back."

"Alright… we'll wait." Balken sighed begrudgingly before turning towards the directions his fiancee slinked off to. _I'm sorry Thistle… I'm sorry for all of this_.

* * *

 _I can't do it…_ Thistle meandered aimlessly down the halls, completely and utterly lost. _I can't stop this tightness in my chest, I can't stop feeling scared… damn it! I'm not weak, I shouldn't be feeling this way. I let my team down and did something that could break us apart, I deserve to feel like shit but… I don't want to feel this… this…_

 **Ooomf**

Thistle came to a dead stop as she walked face first into something, her nose now sore from the impact. Startled she staggered back at looked up to see a girl standing in front of her with long, pitch black hair down the her lower back.

"H-hey, watch where you're going." Thistle tried to sound angry and belligerent but her voice fell flat, cracking in her throat from her earlier cry.

The girl turned, her gorgeous hair flowing as she moved. Thistle watched almost in awe of how graceful the girl made the simple act of turning around appear. Then, she was taken in completely as she stared up at the deep, crimson red eyes and beautiful and delicate features. Thistle felt a blush forming in her cheeks that she frantically fought to suppress.

"You're the one that bumped into me. You should watch where you're… going?" The black haired, red eyed girl stared down at Thistle, her confused gaze turning quickly to a look of pity and sympathy as she looked over the small girl's distraught appearance.

"Don't look at me like that!" Thistle growled, rage finally heating up her chest. "Don't look at me like I'm weak! I- I don't need your pity!"

"Well, you look like you could at least use some empathy…" Before Thistle could utter another fury fueled word, the red eyed girl placed her hand gently on top of Thistle's head, rubbing it softly.

"I- I-" Thistle stuttered as her blush returned with a vengeance before the red eyed girl cut her off.

"And take it from me, strong people, they don't need to act tough to appear strong." She smiled warmly and gave the softest of giggles, as though there was a joke only she was in on.

"... I messed up." Thistle said as she glared at the ground. She couldn't make heads or tails with the girl that rubbed her head as though she were a child, but somehow, she felt okay being vulnerable around this girl she had only just met.

"I can listen… if you want." She retracted her hand, Thistle almost frowned as the cool air rushed back in place of the warmth of her hand. "Why don't we go find place to sit?"

Thistle stared hesitantly at the red eyed girl, turning her head back in the direction she came from, the image of her team still waiting for her bit into her heart a little too hard. She faced the girl once again, her soft purple eyes a sorrowful mix of gratitude and guilt. Thistle gave a tiny nod.

"Thank you." She uttered meekly before following the red eyed girl.


	8. A Final Decision

"Here you go." The red eyed girl said in a chipper tone as she held a steaming paper cup in front of Thistle.

"T-Thank you…" Thistle mumbled nervously as she reached up and grabbed the cup. Instantly its warmth bled through the paper. Wrapping her hands around it, she let the heat bathe her hands.

The red eyed girl smiled contently down at the the girl sitting before her, her small hands holding the cup taking up as much surface area on it as she could.

"You looked like you could use a warm drink." She said simply before sitting down on the bench, only inches away from the girl. She watched her gingerly take a tiny sip of the hot beverage before her eyes lit up with pleasant surprise.

"Hot chocolate?" Thistle looked up at the red eyed girl.

"Yeah, I didn't know if you'd like coffee or tea, but I figure, who doesn't like hot chocolate right?" The red eyed girl giggled.

"Thank you… I actually love it, but I don't get it that often. I used to have it all the time when I was a kid." Thistle looked back down into her cup, gently swirling it and the drink it contained.

"Good, I'm glad I chose right." The red eyed girl's smile brightened even more. "Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong."

Thistle looked up to the girl, the light in her eyes fading as the reality of her situation came back to the forefront of her mind. Her gaze drifted slowly back to her drink, swirling it around for good measure, she brought her lips to the small opening on the lid and took a larger sip. She felt the warmth of the drink heat her up from the inside, all the way down to her stomach. She always likened it to being hugged from the inside. A small but fragile smile formed from her lips.

"I messed up." She said simply, with a bitter chuckle.

"Yeah, you said that. I can't really do much if you don't want to talk…"

"I- I hurt someone. I was angry lost control and my Semblance… it hurt someone on my team and- and then… and then-" Thistle's teeth clenched as she shut her eyes tight. Her body small body trembled and she could feel tears building behind her eyelids.

"Just breath, it's okay. Take your time." The red eyed girl placed her hand on Thistle's back and rubbed gently up and down. As she did, her trembling ebbed and, after a few unsteady breaths, Thistle regained her composure enough to speak.

"Someone made my teammate… my friend cry. They hurt them and no one else was going to hold that person accountable so I- I attacked them, I threatened to kill them actually. It was stupid but someone had to show him that there would be consequences for hurting her…" Thistle was on the verge of tears and she felt every word she said pushed her closer and closer to the edge.

"Wait… that was you!?" The red eyed girl blurted out, quickly withdrawing her hand from Thistle's back. "Professor Knoll right? I heard some second year girl decided to trash his office and sent him to the hospital! That was you wasn't it?!"

Thistle looked up at the girl, entirely expecting fear or disgust or at least anger but… _She's smiling._

"Man, I'm so jealous! I wish I had done that, if you ask me the old bastard got what he deserved. Sadistic old man." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting.

"That's what I call him too." Thistle giggled, her expression brightening for only just a moment until the darkness crept back in. "My friend… she's a faunus and he said horrible things to her, he made her cry and he laughed about it. I- I had to-"

"If I were in your shoes I might have done the same thing. You were looking out for your team, you were trying to do the right thing."

"I know but… but now I'm going to get expelled!" Thistle felt her fragile composure crumbling as she looked at the red eyed girl. "I let my team down… I have all this power and… and all it did was hurt my team. I lost my temper and hurt my friends. I was- I was just so angry and my semblance it just- it just-"

Just a moment before the mental damn she had created smashed apart and released a torrent of tears, she felt herself being pulled to the side. The red eyed girl threw her arms around Thistle, intertwining her fingers over her shoulder and pulling her close. Thistle's head was barely at neck level with the girl, she felt small and… vulnerable, but strangely safe.

"I know how you feel. Power is a curse as much as a gift, and the greater the power, the greater the curse. Still, you directed it. Your power could probably hurt a lot of people, but you're here, trying to become a Huntress, trying to help people. When you lost control, it was because you wanted to defend your friends and your semblance responded to that desire to protect. Give it time… you'll see what I mean."

The red eyed girl released one of her arms while still keeping Thistle pressed against her. With her free hand she gently rubbed the small girl's head, running her fingers through her soft, bright red hair. Thistle felt felt calm wash over her and, as the raging storm in her mind gave way to clarity, she absorbed the words the girl had said to her.

 _My aura was just… responding to me wanting to protect Cristal? It- it hurt her though, and Balken. I wish I didn't have such a destructive power, all I can do is cause hurting! I try to protect my friend but, letting loose, I could hurt everyone around me… I have to keep it in check, all the time but… my anger always takes control of me and then… and then my Semblance…_

"I know someone who's incredibly strong." The red eyed girl began, sensing the turmoil returning to Thistle's mind. "He's so powerful that everyone he knew growing up was afraid of him. He lost control sometimes and, he didn't mean to but… he hurt people, people he cared about. Some even called him a monster. He struggled all his life under the burden of his power. However, he found people who accepted him for who he was, who didn't fear his power and who loved him dearly. He found a team."

"R-really?" Thistle rubbed her eyes and looked up at the red eyed girl. She looked so much like a child at that moment.

"Yes, and he's even hurt his team before, but his team trusts him with their lives, and the forgive him and love him regardless." She stood up, cool air rushing in between them. Thistle felt a pang of sadness as she left her side, but looked up at her as the red eyed girl smiled at her with warmth and love in her eyes.

"He's our leader, and we love him." She finished simply. A caring but sly grin lit up her face as her crimson eyes stared down at Thistle mischievously.

"Your… leader?" Thistle whispered to herself, processing what she had just said for a long moment before her eyes grew stunningly wide and her jaw fell agape. She shot up, nearly dropping her hot chocolate as she did. "W-who are you?! What's your name!?"

"My name?" The red eyed girl grinned, appearing extremely pleased with herself as she took a step back. "My name is Iris Blank, it's nice to meet you."

Thistle's heart skipped a beat as she stared in shock and awe. _Iris Blank… the third highest ranking student in combat in the school's history and a member of Team IVRE along with…_

By the time she snapped out of her stupor, Iris Blank was already walking away. Thistle turned to her, placing a cup down on the bench, fire burned in her purple eyes as she took a long deep breath.

"You tell Ebony Grey that I will defeat him! You hear me?! I'm going to prove that I'm the strongest! I'm coming for him!" Thistle shouted at the top her her lungs, breathing hard and heavy afterwards, but never once taking her eyes off of Iris.

"It'll be exciting to see you try, Thistle Tsvetok. You should hurry along though, you should be with your team right now." She turned around and gave a soft, genuine smile to Thistle and then, with a gentle nod, she turned around and walked away, disappearing down a corridor.

Thistle just stared down the hall, the dull ache in her chest replaced with a passionate fire. _I won't get expelled, I can't, not until I've faced Ebony. I'll prove it, I'll show everyone what happens when I can let loose without fear. Mom and Dad will be watching, my team, and I know now that Iris will be too… I can't get expelled, I will make them understand!_

She turned around, grabbing her still warm drink and walked with purpose down the hall. _But first, I have to be with my team, and give them comfort… because that is something I have the power to do._

* * *

"We shouldn't have let her go…" Cristal mumbled bitterly from her seat on the floor, her back pressed up against a wall for support. Across from her, Lapis was in the same position, while Balken stood, leaning up against the wall beside her.

"She's not good at processing things on her own…" Balken admitted, his voice tired and worried.

"You both need to stop treating her like a delicate flower. She's a huntress in training like us, an extremely capable huntress in training. She doesn't need to be coddled all the time." Lapis tried to sound cold but her worried expression belied her true feelings.

"Well maybe I like being coddled, ever consider that?" A sharp, sarcastic voice caused their heads to jerk to the side at once. Thistle stood in the hallway, a mischievous smile on her lips.

"Thistle, you're back, you look…"

"Good." Lapis interrupted Balken as she stood up beside him.

"Yeah… I am good. I'm… I'm sorry I worried you guys by wandering off. I'm back now though, until they call me in." Her smiled softened as she walked up to her team. "Don't look so worried, I promise, everything is okay… everything is going to be okay."

"How do you know that?!" Cristal bolted up, her face bleak and her eyes puffy from crying. "Thistle, this is all my fault, you could get expelled! You don't- you don't need to pretend to be okay for my sake!"

"I'm not pretending and it's not your fault Cristal." Thistle smiled, reaching up and placing her hand on top of her teammates and and gently bouncing it between her fur covered fox ears. "The only people at fault are myself, and Knoll. I did something I shouldn't have and this is what I have to do to make it better. You're the victim Cristal, and I'm sorry you were treated that way. Just know that… you're our teammate and we're here for you."

Thistle hugged Cristal tight, pulling her as close as she could. Around her, she felt her her friends beside her, placing their hands over her shoulders. After a long minute, she released Cristal and turned to Balken, her expression more serious and sorrowful.

"I'm sorry Balken." She took his hand in her own. The superficial injuries had healed, leaving little behind but the scabs of small tears on his skin. Gently, she fondled his hand in between her own and looked up to him. "I love you, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Standing on her toes, she kissed his cheek before turning around to Lapis and a sly grin.

"Do I get a hug from you or, would that be coddling?" Thistle teased, giving lapis a gentle shove on her shoulder.

"I hate when you get like this… come here." Lapis opened her arms and with a wide, genuine smile Thistle jumped at her, nearly knocking her over with the impact.

"You take care of them, just in case okay." Thistle whispered into Lapis' ear before pulling away like nothing had happened.

Suddenly, her pocket began to vibrate. Despite her earlier calm, her heart started racing as she pulled out her scroll. With eyes exuding resignation, she looked back up at her team, all of them looked worried, except for Lapis who gave a reassuring smile and a tiny nod.

"Here I go…" Thistle took a long, deep breath and reached for the door pushing it open and forcing herself to walk into the dark room, her team watching helplessly as the door slammed shut behind her.


End file.
